Five Signings (and Rejections) by the Rangers That Would Make Me Very Happy

The Shelley-Anisimov-Prust line was a joy to watch last season.

Tomorrow, free agent frenzy will be upon us. Because my birthday is on July 2, that day is usually either a very happy, or very sad occasion depending on where Glen Sather spends his money.

Four years ago, just two days later, I was thrilled with the signing of Brendan Shanahan– a belated gift. But just a year later, I received a pre-birthday gift of Scott Gomez and Chris Drury, something I loved at the time but soon became a nightmare. Then last season came Gaborik, which I was so-so on. Either way, there is always some kind of movement.

I will always remember this plea I made for Brian Rolston two years ago, which was when I was in my earlier stages of writing (just take a look at my projected lineup– it’s laughable!). I’ve since moved on, and although Rolston has been pretty much a bust with the Devils, I will always remember how badly I wanted him.

Below are five signings (and rejections), including re-signings, that would make me very happy on my birthday:

Bringing Back Our Own

Marc Staal: The young, cornerstone defenseman of the franchise has reportedly turned down a very fair offer of four years/$3.5 million. His agent is Bobby Orr, and no doubt he is pumping him up to the extent that he will expect a contract Sather will never give out. Last season, during the Dubinsky holdout, the beat writers took both sides, but this time, everyone is on Sather’s side, which is a rarity. The Rangers need to bring him back, but they should not have to break the bank doing so. Sather will not budge from that offer, and if Orr and Staal have any brains at all, they will accept it.

Jody Shelley and Brandon Prust: These two players epitomized exactly what the Rangers were missing for the majority of last season. The Rangers got a fearless spark-plug in Prust, and a veteran, no-nonsense fighter in Shelley. Both were excellent in their roles as fourth liners with Artem Anisimov as their center. It is clear that Tortorella likes them both, so I have no doubt they will be back in Ranger blue. Shelley is also an amazing guy in the locker room, and the Rangers need to have some personality.

On the Fence

Dan Girardi: The Rangers have also reportedly offered Dan Girardi a contract. It is too bad he is restricted, because I really would not mind seeing him walk. At the same time, he was solid down the stretch and can play sound defensively in big spots. Put it this way, I would like to see him back, but would not shed a tear if he was given an offer sheet and signed elsewhere.

Vaclav Prospal: Although I predicted the Rangers would bring back Prospal, something tells me he may not be back. He was clearly the bargain of the season last year, making only $1.1 million. But he deserves a pay raise this year, and the Rangers may want to invest their money into a different player. If he were to sign with another team, I would thank him and wish him all the best because of what he did last season, but I would not be sad to see him go.

Anders Eriksson: For a player that was considered an old, career minor league scrub when he was signed, Eriksson was one of the reasons why the Rangers played so well down the stretch last season. He stepped in for a shaky Matt Gilroy and all of a sudden the defense clicked. Was it all due to him? No, but he definitely had a calming influence on the young defensemen. I would love to see him back, but if there is a more physical option out there for a seventh defensemen, I would want them to take that.

Go Get ‘Em Slats

Martin Biron: The Rangers number one priority this off-season is getting a backup goaltender that can be relied upon to free up Lundqvist’s ever-increasing workload. Despite a horrible season last year with a horrible team, Biron has always been solid (not great, but as a backup he would not need to be great) and should Lundqvist get injured, he could easily step right in and take the starting job. He could be had real cheap, and I think it would be a mistake to not sign him.

Sheldon Souray: This would require a bit of creativity, but I think Sather, the trade maestro can get it done. I believe the Rangers are content with what Rozsival brings to the table, and given the salary he is making in his final two contract years, they will most likely keep him. However, if, and that is an enormous if, the Rangers can persuade to the Oilers to take Redden, then it would work. Souray is disgruntled with his situation and often injured, so the Oilers will deal him this summer. I would bet a million dollars if I had it. Why would the Rangers want an always-injured Souray, you ask? Because him on one leg is better and more fun to watch than Redden.

It’s Possible, But Not Likely

Ilya Kovalchuk: Who wouldn’t want a perennial 40 goal/80 point player to sign with their favorite team? Although it is technically possible for the Rangers to afford him, it is highly unlikely that they can do so unless they shed some serious salary, which is easier said than done. Kovalchuk will not cost $10 million per season on the cap that was once speculated, more like around $8.5 million. I believe he will go to Los Angeles, but if he is there for the taking, and the Rangers have the maneuverability, then by all means, I hope they sign him.

Just Say No

Johan Hedberg: Rangers fans have this thing about Hedburg that I cannot explain. After browsing through various hockey internet forums, I would say that he is the top choice among fans to be the team’s backup goalie. This could be attributed to his past success against the Blueshirts. But if Hedburg becomes a Ranger, mark my words, by December we will all be saying, “He killed the Rangers every time he played them, now he’s on the Rangers and he kills them every night.”

Anton Volchenkov: If Rangers fans think Redden and Rozsival are useless, just wait until Sather doles out $5 million+ to get a player that all he does is block shots and hit. Granted, the Rangers desperately need to get physical, but there are a lot more cheaper options out there. Hell, I would rather see Brent Henley on the Rangers defensive corps next season than Mike Komisarek clone.

Closing Thoughts

As you can see, I do not project the Rangers making many moves. The one big name player they might have had interest in, Patrick Marleau, has already re-signed with the Sharks. Other than Kovalchuk, there is not a player on the market that can turn this team into a contender. The Rangers should just focus on resigning their own, and bring in one or two small contracts. There is no use wasting the money on older players, or younger reclamation projects that Sather is known for undertaking.

Joe’s Angle: A Look at a Projected, Cap-Friendly Rangers Lineup

[Editor's Note by Greg Caggiano] First of all, I would like to congratulate Joe for his last article that got mentioned on Yahoo’s Puck Daddy blog yesterday. That will really be important for the blog in moving forward as we will get much more exposure. Also, for those of you that don’t know Joe, we have been writing and doing radio shows together off and on for almost three years now.

He is also the first writer I have ever brought in since transitioning to this new blog. He is a Rangers season ticket holder and is never shy in being brutally honest with the team when the situation calls for it. I’m sure you will all enjoy his writing.

Anyway, here is a look at his projected 2010/11 lineup, that is also salary cap friendly, with the numbers based on CapGeek.

Forwards

Callahan ($2.300)-Dubinsky ($1.850)-Gaborik ($7.500)

*Kovalchuk ($8.500)-Drury ($7.050)-*Aasen ($1.750)

**Grachev ($.933)-Anisimov ($.822)-Avery ($1.938)

**Weise ($.700)- Boyle ($.525)- Prust ($.650)

Scratches: Brashear ($1.400)

Defense

Rozsival ($5.000)- Staal ($3.500)

Girardi ($2.250)- Gilroy ($1.750)

*Foster ($1.200)- Del Zotto ($1.087)

Goaltenders

Lundqvist ($6.875)

*Biron ($2.000)

* Denotes players acquired via free agency

** Denotes players called up who were already in the system

What Lies Ahead for the New York Rangers (Satire…maybe)

The first time I wrote one of these prediction pieces was back on Metro Hockey, and I must say, I did not come close with any of them, except the one where I had Chris Higgins scoring his first goal in February. That was borderline. But here it is, what lies ahead for the New York Rangers!

June 15, 2010: The Rangers cash in on the future considerations they acquired from the Nashville Predators in the deal that sent Hugh Jessiman packing. In return, the Rangers get two packs of Pemmican beef jerky and a case of Gatorade.

June 16, 2010: The Predators file a grievance with the NHL office. The title of their memo: “Trade Backsies”.

June 25, 2010: The Rangers select Hugh Jessiman’s brother Louie with the tenth pick in the draft. They then trade Chad Johnson for the rights to draft Hugh’s other brother Dewey.

June 26, 2010: The Rangers, after realizing their mistake, trade Louie and Dewey to the Ducks. Nashville then trades Hugh to Anaheim as well.

June 29, 2010: Anaheim Ducks fold.

June 30, 2010: Jim Balsillie attempts to buy the Ducks and re-locate them to Hamilton.

July 1, 2010: With no center for Marian Gaborik, the Rangers offer Betty White a two year deal worth $8 million. She tells Sather she will think it over.

July 2, 2010: A Facebook group starts up begging Betty White to take the deal.

July 3, 2010: Betty White signs the deal with the Rangers, but only if she is granted a full no trade clause.

July 4, 2010: The Rangers re-sign Enver Lisin to a three year contract worth $10 million after Artem Anisimov held Gordie Clark at gun point.

July 5, 2010: The Rangers banish Wade Redden to Hartford, where he then flees the country and signs a fifteen year deal worth $100 million with a KHL team.

October 4, 2010: The Rangers open up the season with Betty White at center, Marian Gaborik at right wing, and a wax figure of Bea Arthur on left wing.

October 6, 2010: Sean Avery gets into his first locker room scuffle of the season when he calls Betty White an “old lady”. She knocks him out with one punch.

November 1, 2010: The Rangers begin the season 0-8-1.

November 2, 2010: In an attempt to shake up the team, Glen Sather fires Mike Sullivan and replaces him with a  cigar store Indian.

November 3, 2010: John Tortorella suffers a stroke during pre-game warm-ups when he yells at Steve Valiquette for letting in soft goals. En route to the hospital, Ryan Callahan breaks it to him that Steve Valiquette hasn’t been on the team for a year.

November 10, 2010: Chris Drury holds a television press conference yelling at his fellow players and blaming them for the poor start. At every commercial break John Giannone reminds the audience that they are having technical difficulties with the microphone, accounting for the low volume of Chris’s speech. The microphone was fine.

November 28, 2010: The Rangers win their first game of the season, a 19-1 triumph over the Phoenix Coyotes in front of 500 fans in Glendale, all of which are Petr Prucha’s family members.

December 1, 2010: Glen Sather quits his job as GM of the Rangers and is replaced in the interim by Neil Smith.

December 2, 2010: The Rangers designate the Bea Arthur wax figure for assignment. However she leaves leading the team in +/-.

December 3, 2010: Neil Smith signs Mark Messier, Craig MacTavish and Kevin Lowe.

December 4, 2010: Betty White retires after suffering an incurable groin pull injury.

December 23, 2010: The Rangers lose their tenth game in a row by the score of 18-0. Chris Drury announces it will not ruin his Christmas.

December 30, 2010: The Rangers sign Chris Chelios to a one game contract.

December 31, 2010: The Ranger players all gather together to watch the ball drop. Chelios tells them to stop staring at him when in the shower.

And thus the crystal ball ends. Ain’t the future great?

Ranger Fans Voice Their Opinion on Who Should Stay, Who Should Go

In a recent study conducted by Phil Kocher, of Dissension Media, on a New York Rangers message board that will remain anonymous for the time being, he meticulously created twenty-five poll threads, one for each of the players who played for a substantial amount of time on the Rangers this season.

The question he asked was simple; should he stay or should he go? This question was asked of everyone. For the most part, the results were what we would generally expect, but who was voted the player that should stay the most may surprise you, as should several others.

Below are the complete results of the survey:

Who Stays

Artem Anisimov: 100% stay/0 % go. (47 voters)

Michael Del Zotto: 98.55% stay/ 1.45 %go. (69 voters)

Brandon Prust: 98% stay/2% go. (50 voters)

Erik Christensen: 97.96% stay/2.04% go. (49 voters)

Jody Shelley: 97.62% stay/2.38% go. (42 voters)

Marc Staal: 96.36% stay/3.64% go. (55 voters)

Marian Gaborik: 95.16% stay/4.84% go. (62 voters)

Brandon Dubinsky: 91.94% stay/8.06% go. (62 voters)

Henrik Lundqvist: 91.67% stay/8.33% go. (72 votes)

Alex Auld: 90% stay/10% go. (40 voters)

Ryan Callahan: 89.58% stay/10.42% go. (48 voters)

Vaclav Prospal: 84.72% stay/15.28% go. (72 voters)

Dan Girardi: 81.82% stay/18.18% go. (66 voters)

Sean Avery: 75.71% stay/24.29% go. (70 voters)

Matt Gilroy: 67.5% stay/32.5 go. (40 voters)

Anders Eriksson: 61.36% stay/38.64% go. (44 voters)

Who Goes

Stephen Valiquette: 98.04% go/1.96% stay. (51 voters)

Wade Redden: 96.30% go/3.70% stay. (81 voters)

Olli Jokinen: 95.29% go/4.71% stay. (85 voters)

Enver Lisin: 86.49% go/13.51% stay. (37 voters)

Chris Drury: 72.09% go/27.91% stay. (43 voters)

Brian Boyle: 71.19% go/28.81% stay. (59 voters)

Michal Rozsival: 60.94% go/29.06% stay. (64 voters)

P.A Parenteau: 60% go/40% stay. (40 voters)

Aaron Voros: 53.85% go/16.15% stay (52 voters)

As hard on Lundqvist as I have been this season, I am still shocked that his rating did not come closer to 100% than it did. Furthermore, I find it laughable that Jody Shelley, Erik Christensen and Brandon Prust have more people wanting them to stay than the team’s franchise goaltender.

Anisimov may have a bright future with this organization, but he will probably be my biggest surprise in these results, as he is the only player to achieve 100% in anything. It was also shocking to see Wade Redden n0t get to 100%, although he did come close.

Not many surprises all around, although I was expecting some of these polls to be more unanimous than what they ended up being. Fans are nearly torn on Voros, with close to a 50/50 split. Quite surprising considering that everyone hated his guts midway through the season.

With the buzz factor, Jokinen’s poll generated the most attention, as he garnered 85 total votes. Meanwhile, not many people cared to click on Enver Lisin’s poll, as he received only 37 total votes. Most of these polls had a good enough sample space to generate the overall attitude towards the Ranger players, even though I wish some of the polls in the 40′s had more voters.

Chad Johnson, Bobby Sanguinetti, Corey Potter, and Corey Locke were not polled, because they did not play enough.

Hats off to Phil for taking the time to conduct these.

In a separate poll conducted by myself a little more than a week ago, I asked fans on this same board who they wanted to be the team’s backup goalie. Even though 90% chose Auld in the previous poll series, the results were a little more broken up, almost contradictory to the above.

Out of 45 voters, 16 wanted Auld to be the backup, 15 chose Chad Johnson, 10 wanted Johan Hedberg to be signed, 3 wanted Martin Biron to be signed, and one person voted “other”.

Needless to say, the Rangers have a lot of work to do in the off-season, and I still am not expecting them to do anything major. Probably just a few small moves here and there. If the Rangers wanted to please their fans, they would look at some of these numbers and act on them, but I am sure that will be highly unlikely.

Flyers Send Rangers Packing in Pressure Filled Final Game

Aside from the fourth line, the New York Rangers should be embarrassed for not being able to defeat the Flyers in a game in which Henrik Lundqvist played his best game of the season and made 46 saves. They were outplayed and outmatched from beginning to end, and could not overcome the massive amount of pressure the Flyers had on them.

The Rangers would strike first when Jody Shelley scored a little over three minutes in. Assists went to Rozsival and Anisimov. But from there it all went south, as the Rangers could not get any offensive flow going, and that would be their downfall.

Every Flyers fan will admit that Brian Boucher has been terrible. He was not terrible this afternoon, but then again, we really don’t have a large enough sample space to judge him by. The Rangers mustered up a mediocre 25 shots in regulation and overtime.

The Flyers then pounded the Rangers with every chance they had, out-shooting them in every period, for a game total of 47. They had the pressure in the second half of the first period, and the entire second and third periods.

P.A Parenteau, who has been a career AHLer, showed why this afternoon, taking two lazy penalties, with the second leading to the Flyers tying goal, by Matt Carle, assists going Carter and Briere. He had no jump in his step and no work ethic at all.

As the game continued to overtime, the pressure mounted. Lundqvist continued to stand on his head, but the miserable Rangers could not help him out by getting one more measly goal. With all of Gaborik’s greatness, I have to ask, did he even play tonight? Did not notice him one shift.

So then the game went to a shootout, and I guess I ended up jinxing myself when I tweeted, “If the Rangers lose, I hope to God it’s in overtime, and not a shootout, an event that should not even be in the game. It would be a travesty for a playoff spot to come down to one.”

Low and behold, after a fairly uneventful overtime, the game went to a shootout. The Flyers elected to go first, and Briere got them on the board. After misses by Christensen and Richards, Parenteau would redeem himself and score the tying goal. But the happiness did not last long as Claude Giroux got it right back.

The Rangers season then came down to one shot, on the stick of Olli Jokinen, a player who should not have even been put in that situation. He came in on Boucher quickly, and deftly tried to slide it along the ice between the goalie pads, but it failed and the Rangers lost; the Flyers advancing to the playoffs, and the Rangers going home for the summer.

Perhaps this is the wake-up call that this franchise needs, and maybe in the long run, missing the playoffs will be for the better. However, for the moment, it is highly frustrating and saddening to not see Lundqvist walk away with a win in this one. Everyone should be ashamed of themselves.

On a side note, Shelley and Prust just secured themselves a contract for next season and Jokinen just purchased himself a ticket the hell out of New York. I’ve wanted Tortorella fired for months now, and I guess I will keep that same opinion. Something needs to happen though, but just firing Sather will do nothing.

Keep everyone, or clean the house of everyone. When you want to get rid of a hornet’s nest, you don’t go up to it with bug spray and shoot the outside of it; you take a torch and destroy the whole thing.

It was a real pleasure covering the Rangers for all of you, once again, in this, my second full season writing about hockey. Will get my first round playoff predictions up by Wednesday, and other than that, I will be on hiatus from the Rangers for a few weeks until there is actually something to write about.

Many thanks for all the reads, and I wish everyone the best. Please enjoy the playoffs, even if our boys aren’t playing in them.

Rangers Defeat Flyers; Set Up Epic Sunday Afternoon Showdown

The New York Rangers had their backs against the wall tonight. One loss, and they would be eliminated from playoff contention. One win in overtime, and it would make things interesting. One win in regulation, and they would tie the Flyers in the standings and make Sunday’s game a do-or-die for both teams. The Rangers forced the latter.

After a moving, and always inspiring pre-game ceremony featuring the paralyzed NYPD hero Steven McDonald, and the Rangers Extra Effort Award going to Ryan Callahan, the crowd was revved up and ready to go for the biggest game of the season.

It seemed early that the Flyers would put a damper on the festivities when Mike Richards scored just forty seconds into the game. But the Rangers would respond seven minutes later with a Chris Drury powerplay goal. The assists would go to Christensen and Girardi. They would then take the lead just three minutes later on a beautiful goal by Jody Shelley, his first as a Ranger, set up by none other than his bash brothers Anisimov and Shelley.

The Rangers would then extend the lead early in the second on Dubinsky’s twentieth of the season. Gaborik would continue to expand his career high with an assist, and Christensen would add his second of the game.

Then things would get rocky once again, as the Flyers would score two goals in six minutes to tie the game, but the resilient Rangers would answer back to that, with Gaborik’s forty-second of the season. The Rangers would not relinquish the lead, and would go on to win 4-3.

Henrik Lundqvist was spectacular, and the Shelley-Anisimov-Prust line would continue to be at their best, and got well deserved shifts late in the game.

Come Sunday, it will not matter whether the game ends in regulation or overtime. Whoever wins goes to the playoffs. What seed they will finish is yet to be known. The Rangers now have the momentum, but they cannot get ahead of themselves. They will be heading into a very hostile Wachovia Center for the three o’clock matinée.

This game, like tonight’s will essentially be a playoff game, and will probably stand as the most watched regular season game for the Rangers in recent history.

As a side note, did anyone catch ex-Flyers head coach John Stevens in the studio on VS after the completion in this game? He went completely out of his way to bash the Flyers, all while trying to hold back a large grin. Saying he looked happy would be an understatement. It looked like he wanted to run around the studio leaping and shouting out of sheer joy.

Anisimov, Prust, and Shelley Making a Difference for Rangers

Since October, the New York Rangers have not had a set of four lines. Coach John Tortorella changes them by the period, sometimes even by the shift. It had been a long time since one line remained intact during the course of a game. Then again, no line really combination warranted being kept together for more than a game, until last night.

From start to finish in the Rangers 4-3 shootout triumph over the New Jersey Devils, the fourth line of Artem Anisimov, Brandon Prust, and Jody Shelley was the best in the game. They kept up a relentless forecheck, used their size to their advantage along the boards, showed toughness, and also chipped in a goal, when Anisimov roofed a shot over Martin Brodeur, for his 12th of the season.

Rangers fans had been waiting earnestly for Anisimov to finally show the offensive prowess that allowed him to score 81 points last season for the Hartford Wolfpack. After shifting him all over the place in the lineup, including a brief stint on the first line with Marian Gaborik, Tortorella may have discovered the key to his success.

Ironically, Anisimov benefits offensively by placing him on a line with no other offensive talents. When he played with Gaborik, it was Anisimov’s job to be the defensive presence on the line, and to worry about backchecking. But by placing him between a grinder like Prust, and an enforcer like Shelley, he is free to play the offensive game that he wants, because for as long as that line is on the ice, the offense must run through him.

The trio last night gave reason for Tortorella to keep them together for at least one more full game, so we can see that it was not just lightning in a bottle; that the Rangers perhaps now have a set fourth line. When Brian Boyle is healthy after suffering an injury, this line will make it all the more difficult for him to find his way back into the lineup, and may very well spell the end of Aaron Voros’ career with the Rangers.

Meanwhile, Jody Shelley is making the Rangers take a serious look at if they want to re-sign him for next season. For his first ten games with the Rangers, he did not do much of anything, but in these last two games, he has been fighting, and showing a decent skating ability. Come July, I would expect the Rangers to offer him a one year deal of $750,000.

As for Brandon Prust, he is a slightly better version of Aaron Voros, but because Voros is signed on for next season, Prust would be a goner unless they can somehow rid themselves of the contract. Prust is a better skater, a slightly better fighter, and has more offensive instinct.

Should the line of Anisimov, Prust, and Shelley play the rest of the way like they did last night, the Rangers are in for a treat. And I would also not mind seeing the trio back again for another season.

Rangers Stay Alive With Shootout Win Against Devils

Henrik Lundqvist was absolutely brilliant tonight, and deserved the win. It wasn’t pretty, but the Rangers would get him that 30th win in a shootout, with some late game heroics by Chris Drury. Lundqvist is now the only goaltender in NHL history to have five straight 30 wins seasons to start a career.

The first period was played predominately in their own end, and were out-shot 9 to 4. Kovalchuk would score his first goal in three games against the Rangers since being acquired by New Jersey. The play was a result of blown coverage by both Redden and Gilroy, but more so to Redden for failing to cover the streaking Kovalchuk. Jody Shelley and Andrew Peeters would also fight, with Shelley having the edge early, before Peeters caught up at the very end.

The Rangers would get the goal back in the second, though, as Brandon Dubinsky continues to raise his career highs, netting his 17th of the season, on the powerplay, with assists from Del Zotto and Avery. The Rangers would head into the third period tied 1-1.

But the Devils would grab the lead for the second time in the game, when Patrik Elias unleashed a one-timer wrist shot over the shoulder of Lundqvist, but once again, the Rangers would answer back on an Anisimov goal, with assists going to Prust and Shelley.

The problem that has plagued the Rangers all season has been consistency, and for a period of about 45 seconds, with the score tied 2-2, they played horrible defensively, allowing three odd-man rushes, and then completing a terrible line change that led to the Devils scoring again, taking the lead for the third time in the game.

When everything seemed bleak, Rangers Captain Chris Drury would tie the game at 3-3 with just 17.5 seconds remaining. The game would go to overtime, and then to a shootout, where Erik Christensen would score the only goal, giving the Rangers the win.

The line of Prust-Anisimov-Shelley was the best trio of forwards for the Rangers, which can be considered both good at bad. Olli Jokinen played just over eight minutes tonight, and has been invisible for the last few games. If he keeps up this pace, he will not have to worry about getting a contract from the Rangers this summer.

With Boston losing in regulation, and the Flyers and Thrashers falling in OT, the Rangers are still very much alive in the playoff race. With back to back wins over division rivals, perhaps this will be enough to wake the Rangers up. Only one question remains: is it too little, too late?